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by Erin_Oppel



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Lonashipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29203167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erin_Oppel/pseuds/Erin_Oppel
Summary: Selene couldn’t hear anything but a scream that she eventually identified as her own, calling Gladion’s name. Unable to break free of her captors, she could only watch in horror as Lusamine took Gladion with her into the unfamiliar dimension.
Relationships: Gladio | Gladion/Mizuki | Selene (Pokemon Sun & Moon)
Kudos: 15





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**Author's Note:**

> Sun/Moon AU where everything's the same except Lusamine took Gladion to Ultra Space with her. Sorry if this idea has been done before, but I wrote this ages ago and only decided to finish it now.
> 
> Because she is the stand-in for every girl player, I purposely avoided physically describing Selene or her Pokemon to make it easier if you want to imagine yourself and your team.

The memory of seeing Lusamine carry off an unconscious Gladion was all she could think about as she trekked through Ultra Space.

And that gash on his head…

Selene squeezed her eyes shut, suppressing a moan. She didn’t want to worry Lillie, who was keeping pace behind her. She needed to be strong for her. _Gladion will be just fine_ , she told herself.

But the memory refused to leave her. It kept playing over in her head, and each time Selene would try to think of some way it could’ve ended differently, that somehow she could’ve prevented this.

The worst part was when Lusamine violently lashed out at Gladion after being defeated by Selene in a Pokemon battle. By then Aether employees had rushed in to restrain Selene and her companions, otherwise Selene would’ve been at Gladion’s defense. Lusamine flashed a wicked smile that would make anyone’s stomach drop, and carried Gladion toward the portal.

Selene couldn’t hear anything but a scream that she eventually identified as her own, calling Gladion’s name. Unable to break free of her captors, she could only watch in horror as Lusamine took Gladion with her into the unfamiliar dimension.

Even though help did arrive in the form of Wicke, Gladion was still trapped in there with that… that _monster_. Who knows what she was doing to him.

“Gladion…” Selene unintentionally whispered.

A hand touched her shoulder and she flinched.

“I’m scared for him too,” came Lillie’s quiet voice. More hopefully, she added, “But if anyone can rescue him, it’s you.”

Selene gave a tiny smile before facing ahead again, trying to hide the blush creeping up her neck. Despite her and Gladion not having the friendliest encounters, there was no denying that she had grown to admire and respect him. But only when she lost Gladion did she realize how much she loved him. Though she had kept her affection for him hidden, she had a feeling others were starting to catch on. Especially after how she had reacted to what happened.

When Lusamine finally came into view, sitting daintily on a rock as if she expected them, Selene’s anger flared up again. It took all of her willpower to not run over and attack her, for she feared upsetting Lillie. Despite the Aether President’s maliciousness, Lillie made it clear that she was still her mother.

“Look at it… The world of my Ultra Beasts…” Lusamine said with that smile of hers. “A world where the only thing that exists is the love between Nihilego and myself. This is the real paradise!”

Selene clenched her fists. “Where is he?” she demanded through gritted teeth.

Lusamine gave a small laugh. “That’s what you’ve come to bother me for? Even you cannot be that stupid.”

Lillie took a step forward and declared, “Stop it, Mother! You and Gladion need to come home right now!”

Lusamine flicked her cold gaze to her daughter. “Why must you continue to pester me?” Her voice increased in edge as she went on, “I don’t need you any longer. I can live here in a world filled with only the things that I love! And I _will_ live here!”

Selene glowered. “How can you possibly know anything about love? You only think of yourself!”

“And why shouldn’t I?”

Lillie countered, “Children and Pokemon are not just things that you can do whatever you want to!” There was a confidence in Lillie that Selene had never seen in her before. “We are not things that you can collect and just discard when you get bored with us! That is terrible, Mother! You are terrible!”

Lusamine’s lips twitched in anger before she quickly feigned indifference. “You want to see Gladion so badly? Fine. Here he is.”

And then he flickered into view, lying motionless in front of Lusamine. The wound on his temple had dried, but it no less made Selene sick.

“Gladion!” she yelled, forgetting everything else and running toward him.

A Nihilego materialized out of the air in front of her, making Selene stagger back.

“Watch out!” Lillie gasped.

Selene planted her feet, shifting her eyes from Gladion to Nihilego. Her right hand slipped into her bag and readied a Pokeball. If Lusamine wanted a fight, she would give her one.

Lusamine stood to her full, intimidating height. “Lillie, I will never forgive you for stealing Cosmog from me!” She glared at Selene. “Nor you, Selene, you hateful little Trainer, for turning my children against me! With Nihilego’s power, I will show you how wrong you were to come here!”

A second Nihilego appeared above Lusamine and floated down to her, while the other hovered to Gladion. What happened next was something Selene could only describe as nightmarish.

The Nihilego wrapped their tentacles around the humans in a cold embrace. After a flash of white, Lusamine and Gladion appeared to be _inside_ the now larger Ultra Beasts. Lusamine’s clothes turned violet and her hair darkened to purple with yellow highlights, flowing freely inside the Nihilego’s dome-like head. Tentacles with spikes and eyes at the ends protruded from behind her and waved gracefully.

Gladion was even more painful to look at. His new form was similar to Lusamine’s, only red and black like his clothes. Slashes in his tentacles revealed blood-like liquid, and spikes jutted out from the sides of Nihilego’s dome. His hair turned jet-black with red streaks, but most disturbing was his stare. His beautiful green eyes had become acid-yellow like his mother’s, and they seemed to burn through her viciously.

This was not the Gladion she knew.

Suddenly the air was more difficult to breathe. Blood pounded in Selene’s ears, almost drowning out Lillie’s cries for Gladion to come to his senses. Finding her voice, Selene screamed, “Gladion! Wake up, _please_! Don’t listen to it! _Gladion_!”

“Foolish girls. His mind belongs to Nihilego now. Nothing you do can change that.” Lusamine’s voice had almost become otherworldly. She turned to her son, a manic grin on her face. “Now, Gladion, kill these ugly beings that stand before you!”

Gladion’s intense glare locked on Selene, freezing her in place.

Lillie yelled from behind her, “Selene! You have to fight him; it’s the only way!”

Selene shook herself from her petrified state and fumbled for a Pokeball. Throwing it, she called out her starter. 

The Pokemon emerged from its capsule and landed in front of Selene. It screeched defensively upon seeing the beastly new Gladion.

“I know, we have to separate Gladion from the Nihilego by attacking,” Selene told it while racking her brain for a strategy. “Don’t even think of it as Gladion. Focus on destroying the Ultra Beast!”

Gladion raised a clawed tentacle in order to strike.

Selene commanded a move to block the incoming attack, but the tentacle wrapped around her starter and slammed it into a wall.

“No!” cried Selene in dismay.

Her partner fell to the ground, taking chunks of the wall and shattered crystals with it.

_He’s incredibly strong,_ Selene thought with a wide-eyed stare. _To be able to take down a Pokemon with one hit…_ She shook her head. _I have to keep trying!_

Each new Pokemon she sent out fared a little better than the previous one due to her recognizing Gladion’s attacks and how to best avoid them. However, despite managing to get a few hits in, every last one of them was defeated. 

Not only that, but the battle had almost completely drained Selene as well. Her breath came in short gasps and sweat beaded on her forehead. She could barely stand.

Gladion had been weakened, at least. His face showed obvious signs of pain, but it lost most of the fury from before. He hunched over the ground, using his dominant tentacles to support himself. The fusion looked ready to come apart.

But it wasn’t enough.

Selene gazed at him through tear-filled eyes. “I’m sorry, Gladion… I’m so sorry…” she whispered.

Lusamine cackled. “It’s over, Selene! You’ve wasted your time. Gladion, finish her!”

Lillie screamed, “Mother, no!”

Selene lowered her head and closed her eyes, ready to accept her defeat. She was no longer afraid, for she had done everything she could. 

“S-Sel…ene…”

That voice… Selene whipped her head back up in surprise.

Gladion’s face had suddenly changed. His eyes looked terrified. “Help… me…” And then his face contorted into a scowl once more.

At first she thought she imagined it. But Gladion’s voice was unmistakable no matter how soft or distorted. Beneath that horrible beast, he was still there. Still counting on her.

Still very much under the control of Nihilego, he slowly began lifting a tentacle to end the fight.

It was now or never. Without thinking, Selene broke into a sprint, crossing the gap between them in only a few strides. Before Gladion could land a blow, Selene leapt at him. She pushed her arms through the gel-like membrane and wrapped them around Gladion’s shoulders, pulling her head through the dome as well.

And then she kissed him.

She ignored the teardrops that clung to her eyelashes, and the muffled cries from Lusamine and Lillie. All that was there was elation and sorrow. If her journey was to end like this, so be it.

But Gladion never attacked her. His form suddenly started shuddering and tentacles flailed wildly.

Selene was knocked off balance and stumbled to the ground, gasping for air. Not sure what was happening, she continued to watch with wide eyes.

Gladion growled. His face was pinched in a look of intense struggle, as if fighting a battle no one else could see. Finally, red beams of light shot out from his body before being engulfed in a blinding white light.

Then it faded, and Selene had never been happier to see Gladion—the _real_ Gladion. But her heart sank when he fell to the ground. “Gladion!” she yelled as she rushed to his side.

Nihilego floated away from its host when Selene approached and disappeared into the vastness of Ultra Space.

“Stay with me, stay with me please,” Selene sobbed, cradling Gladion’s head in her hands. Fresh tears fell onto his face as she gazed at his half-closed eyes. “I love you, Gladion! _I love you_!”

He parted his lips as if he was going to speak, but all that came out was a shallow breath. Then his eyelids closed as the last of his strength gave out.

* * *

Selene hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but the stressful events that took place in addition to her insomnia the previous night took their toll on her. The wait had been torture. At least Selene had been able to sleep, albeit in an uncomfortable chair outside one of the infirmeries at Aether Paradise. Wicke had offered her a room, but Selene insisted on being there as soon as Gladion was allowed visitors. She glanced across the hall.

Lillie herself had been waiting outside of Lusamine’s room. Thanks to Nebby’s Legendary evolution arriving in the nick of time, the Aether President had also been returned to normal. Lillie met Selene’s eyes and gave an encouraging smile.

They hadn’t spoken much since they got back. Selene didn’t want to talk about her anguished confession, and was thankful that Lillie didn’t bring it up. She checked the time on her Rotomdex. Apparently she’d been waiting for five hours, but it felt like an eternity.

“You really should eat something,” the Rotom inhabiting the little machine spoke. “I am concerned about your health, zzzt.”

“I will later,” Selene promised.

“Your hygiene could also use some attention.”

She huffed dryly, “Thanks,” and Rotom returned to her bag. She was glad for his company though; she’d left her Pokemon with the handlers in the conservatory to recover.

After a few more seconds, the door to Gladion’s room opened and a series of Aether doctors walked out.

Selene immediately jumped to her feet, nearly falling back in the chair because her legs had fallen asleep. “How is he?” she inquired, wincing through the pins and needles while steadying herself on the wall.

The lead doctor answered, “He’s stable. His condition was not as bad as Madam Lusamine’s, but we’d still like to keep him here a few days to monitor his vitals. He’s awake now, if you’d like to visit him. Just keep it short; he needs to rest.”

Selene beamed. She was about to head inside, but remembered Lillie. She was his sister, after all.

But Lillie at once shook her head. “You need to see him more than I do,” she said with a knowing smile.

Feeling her face flush, Selene shyly thanked her and ducked inside the room, closing the door behind her.

Gladion looked up when he heard her. He had a white bandage wrapped around his head and wires stuck to his wrists, but otherwise he seemed perfectly normal.

“Hi,” she greeted, stopping a few feet away. She suddenly wondered how he was going to react to her declaration of love for him. She’d only said it because she thought he wouldn’t make it.

“You look terrible.”

Selene tensed at his blunt statement. Her hands instinctively wiped away any dried sweat and tears from her face. Her hair did feel a bit greasy. “Um, well… You look better than you were before,” she said truthfully. “How do you feel?”

Gladion crossed his arms and slumped against his pillow. “I’ve felt worse.” Bitterly, he added, “Honestly I’m more upset that I let myself become a pawn for Lusamine.”

“That wasn’t your choice,” Selene reasoned, clearly aware he was avoiding the “Mother” issue.

“The doctors said I had fused with a Nihilego. Since I wasn’t exposed to it for very long, they were able to get rid of the toxins.” His eyes softened a little. “I apologize for any harm I might have caused anyone.”

Selene shook her head. “No, that’s ok, we didn’t really—“ She cut herself off when she registered his words. “They said? You mean you don’t… remember?”

Gladion closed his eyes thoughtfully. “The last thing I remember was being in Lusamine’s secret lab. You had defeated her in a battle, but she went ahead and opened the Ultra Wormhole anyway. Then I woke up here.”

“So you don’t remember being in Ultra Space… Or being fused with Nihilego… Or anything else?”

He furrowed his brows in concentration. “No, I don’t,” he said after a moment. “It’s probably for the best. I wouldn’t want the memory of helping Lusamine against my will to haunt me.”

So he still didn’t know. Selene wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. One thing was for sure: she was most definitely not going to reveal what had happened to him now. “Oh. Y-yes, you’re right.” She cleared her throat. “Well, I just wanted to check how you were doing. I’m glad you’re still alive.”

“Hmph. Shouldn’t you be working on becoming Alola’s first Champion?”

His accusatory tone stung her a little, but Selene was just happy to have the old Gladion back. She gave him an optimistic grin and headed for the door. “I will be. You can bet on it!”

“Selene.”

She turned and raised an unexpected eyebrow.

He nodded gratefully. “Thanks. For everything you’ve done for my family.”

* * *

She hadn’t seen Gladion since that day. He hadn’t shown up to her celebration for becoming the first Pokemon League Champion of Alola, though Lillie had said he didn’t like parties. He wasn’t even there to say goodbye to his sister when she left for Kanto with Lusamine. And so far only Hau had challenged her for the Champion title.

Selene sighed absentmindedly. She climbed up one of the staircases at the Aether Mansion in the direction of Gladion’s room. She’d heard that he’d become the new President of the Aether Foundation, so it was possible he was too busy running the place to do anything else. So she decided to surprise him with a visit.

“You think he’ll like flowers?” she asked Rotomdex quickly, examining the little Gradacia bouquet in her hand. “That’s what you give people when they were sick—wait, flowers might remind him of his family and maybe he doesn’t want to think about them-”

Rotomdex gave her an encouraging nudge. “Breathe, zzzt! I’m sure Gladion would like anything you’d give him.”

Selene took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax a little. The last thing she wanted was to sound like a stuttering, nervous wreck. “Ok. Here goes.” Rotomdex went back in her bag as she approached Gladion’s door. She was about to knock, but then she heard his voice from inside.

“…don’t lie to me, Mother!”

He must’ve been talking to Lusamine via videophone, and he sounded really upset. Selene thought about coming back another time, but her concern for Gladion kept her at the door.

“You’re not the only one who was fused with one of those beasts. So don’t tell me you don’t remember what you did, because the same thing happened to me and _I remember everything_!”

Selene’s body went cold.

Everything. The kiss. Her desperate “I love you”. And he had lied to her. _Her._ Did he think Lusamine deserved the truth instead of the girl who risked everything to save him? Unless…

Gladion never felt the same way about her.

Of course he didn’t. After all, Gladion had said they were neither friends nor enemies. How could he think of her as anything more? He must’ve thought that by pretending to forget, he would save Selene the embarrassment of being rejected, or save himself the trouble of rejecting her.

Her thoughts drowned out the rest of the conversation. Feeling her eyes well up with tears, Selene hurried down the hall from where she’d come. She flew down the stairs and burst through the door, calling her Charizard on the way.

The Ride Pokemon growled softly in concern when it saw her.

“Please, just take me home quickly,” she said as she got in the saddle. Cold air blasted her face as Charizard took to the sky. Without another look at it, Selene dropped her bouquet into the sea far below.

* * *

At first she was glad she hadn’t run into him the next few days. Taking her frustration out on the Elite Four and challengers was a welcome distraction. But the longer she went without seeing Gladion, the more she was convinced that he’d been avoiding her.

Which is why she was taken aback when Gladion suddenly showed up in the Champion’s room one night.

Selene’s heart pounded. “Hey,” was all she could say while trying to sort out her mixed emotions.

Gladion must’ve noticed the surprise on her face because he said, “I take it you weren’t expecting me.”

“Not really. I thought you were busy running Aether,” she replied, careful to keep her tone casual.

“I took some time off so I could get back to battling,” he explained. “Everyone has their own answer to becoming stronger. But for me…” He held her gaze. “I want the strongest rival for myself.”

The throne might as well have collapsed beneath her. He wanted _her_ … for _himself_? Her heart sparked briefly with hope before she snuffed it out. That wasn’t what he meant. How could she even think that? How could her feelings have not changed?

She leveled her breathing and stood up. “I accept your challenge.” Selene took a few steps forward to her battling position and added, “I must warn you though, it won’t have the same outcome as our battle in Ultra Space.” And then she pierced him with a glare. “But you know all about that, don’t you?”

She hadn’t been planning on saying it. She wanted to keep it locked up forever. But seeing Gladion again, and having all those emotions rush back to her, and just… 

It was all just too much.

Gladion’s expression barely changed, though, and she hated that. He simply stared at her with narrowed eyes and, after only a moment’s hesitation, he said, “You’re bringing that up now?”

Selene gawked. “Well, one of us had to! Were you really going to just pretend it never happened?”

“Yes.” The immediate response made her flinch, but Gladion went on coldly, “Trust me, we should both just forget it.”

“Trust you? How am I supposed to trust anything you say?” she nearly shouted. “You _lied_ to me!”

He turned his head away, hiding whatever reaction he had behind his bangs. “I had to.”

Selene’s lip quivered and she bit it hard to keep herself from crying. Shakily, she asked, “Do you really hate me that much?”

He looked at her again and this time a flash of hurt crossed his face. For a second, Selene thought he would deny it, but he stayed silent.

She wanted to be angry with him. But she knew that it wasn’t Gladion’s fault. She couldn’t make him reciprocate her feelings. “You can tell me. It won’t hurt as much as being lied to. And then…” Her voice started to break as she forced herself to go on, “...you can go back to forgetting it ever happened. A-and that’s ok, because I probably deserve it. Because I won’t forget you, or what I did, or how I feel about you.”

“You think I _want_ to forget?” Gladion suddenly raised his voice. “Or that I _wanted_ to lie? That was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life!”

“Then why didn’t you just say you don’t love me?”

“ _Because I do love you_!”

Selene’s heart stopped. She processed his words, words that she’d only dreamed of hearing from him, trying to make sense of everything. She wanted to say something, but whatever she tried to come up with got mixed in with her swirling thoughts.

Gladion wouldn’t look at her as he continued, “You’re the greatest, strongest, most stubborn person I ever met. I could never do anything in a million lifetimes to be good enough for you. I’m a _criminal_ , Selene. And after what my mother did and for involving Team Skull, Aether is going to get a bad reputation and I won’t drag you down with me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks! I love _you_ and that’s all that matters!”

He sighed, but it sounded sad. “You’re too young to know what you’re saying.”

“Maybe I am.” She held him with a firm gaze. “But all I know is that you’re a caring, reckless, amazing Trainer, and I want to stay by your side forever even if the whole world is against you.”

Stars glittered in his glassy eyes, making Selene suddenly realize how close they’d gotten during their dispute. Before she knew it, Gladion wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in tight.

She clutched the front of his sweatshirt and buried her head in his chest. She took a deep breath to calm her still-shaking nerves, savouring Gladion’s comforting scent. A delightful shiver ran up her spine as Gladion pressed his fingers into her back, drawing her even closer. Selene didn’t know how long they stayed in their soothing embrace, but she didn’t care. It was amazing to her that whenever she felt weak, Gladion always made her stronger somehow.

When they did pull away, Gladion’s eyes were warm with affection and his lips were turned up in a gentle grin, showing his teeth. The sight made Selene’s heart melt and she let out a small gasp.

“What is it?”

“I’ve never seen you smile before,” she realized.

He blushed, seeming a little shy. “I didn’t have a reason until now.”

Selene’s grin broadened. She thought about kissing him again, but then she would’ve missed the way he was looking at her. The look that said he trusted her with his life and his heart. Since leaving Kanto, she never thought she'd find another place where she could feel happy and strong and at her best. But now it wasn't Alola that she called home.

It was Gladion.


End file.
